Reminder Of My Past
by Moodybrowngirl17
Summary: But how was he supposed to love her when she reminded him of the darkness he so desperately wished to escape?
1. When Kiba muttered

**A/N: Hello readers! I am back! And with an update! CHEERS!**

 **So, I decided to remove all the others chapters and start afresh. And that is exactly what I did. If it caused some kind of an inconvenience, then my apologies. You all know that wasn't my intention. And I am also gonna make a few changes in the summary and maybe I'll change the title as well? Lets see ;)**

 **I have the 'edited version' of chapter 1 and trust me on this, its far better than the previous one. So without further ado...**

 **WAIT! Disclaimer! Yes! Disclaimer! Give me a minute please.**

 **Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine but the plot is rightfully mine, so yeah.**

 **Shoutout to my beta reader poodie. Go, check her out!**

 **And sit with a notepad folks and keep taking notes because, trust me, you'll need it.**

 **CHAPTER 1 : When Kiba muttered**

 **Flashback**

 _The sound of crunching of dried leaves and breaking twigs echoed throughout the graveyard as a sneakers clad figure, with a bright orange sweatshirt, and washed out jeans trotted down the path carrying a single daisy, clasped tightly, yet gently, in his hands. He passed various memorials to reach the one he came to visit every Sunday. A low breeze ruffled his blonde hair, and a small sad smile dawned his features, as his feet came to a halt in front of a grave of the person he loved the most. He squatted down on his knees and his little fingertips filled with innocence traced the letters written on the grave._

 _ **KUSHINA UZUMAKI-NAMIKAZE**_

 _ **(10th July 1980 - 20th December 2012)**_

 _Naruto let out a sigh as he plopped down on the ground beside the grave. Dusting the leaves and dirt off it with his hands, he placed the daisy on it. His strikingly blue eyes surveyed his surroundings as he took in the familiar oak tree under which his mother was buried. She had wanted it; wanted to be buried under an oak tree. Naruto would never understand the reason behind it; but who was he to question her wishes when his own odd requests sometimes shocked him. With her tomato red hair, she had always been different. A good different, which made her stand out, that distinguished her from a mob of 'normals'. And this difference made his father fall head over heels for his mother. 'One of a kind,' he used to say to describe her. Naruto was just like her; and he couldn't have been more proud of it._

 _Tranquility washed his insides, ridding his body of any tension and setting it at peace, as he felt the familiar warmth of his mother envelope him. A mama's boy; that's what he had always been as the feeling of being content only came when she was right by his side._

 _''Hey Mom!'' And as a gentle wind danced by, he just knew that his mom was listening, "Its 10th of October today, my 14th birthday.'' His tone filled with a child like excitement. His insides were jittery and the urge to squeal was overpowering. Well, can't blame him. One did not turn 14 everyday._

 _"Sasuke, Sui, Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru,'' He ticked off the names on his fingers, ''They are gonna come to celebrate with me today, around 12 I guess,''_

 _A wave of nostalgia hit him full force, and he couldn't help but laugh, remembering how the 6 of them used to get scolded by Kushina for causing trouble around the house all the damn time; but the affection hidden behind those playful scowls on her face had never went unnoticed by them._

 _''You always loved them around, didn't ya?''_

 _''Jiraiya Sensei promised me a soccer ball... And I totally forgot to tell you that I made it to the soccer team!'' Enthusiasm radiated off him as he chatted on, '' I wish...you could have been here... to watch me play. I am quite good.'' He finished proudly, and a wistful smile graced his features. He reminisced the times he used to play soccer with his father in the backyard; then getting dirt all over the floor of the kitchen which resulted in his mum throwing a hissy fit, and how it used to scare his dad shitless, but they never stopped. He chuckled to himself and shook his head. His mom was something._

 _''Sasuke wouldn't have ever accepted, but he was fond of you and...me too. But I know he would burn in hell rather than spit that out.'' A breeze blew by as he inhaled the slightly humid air and smell of wet grounds._

 _''You would want to know how he is doing, right? Despite all of his mopping around every other day, he is fine, I guess. Fine as in better than before. He was a mess when you left us. It was like watching him mourn for his parent's death all over again. We couldn't reach out to him for a while after that, but eventually then, he came back on his own. I think I know why,'' He paused and picked at the grass with his fingernails._

 _His thoughts were whirling around his head, ready to be thrown out of his mouths. But it was easier said then done, he realized as he tripped on his own words, ''He tried to get better because he understands. Understands how it feels to have your happiness ripped out of your hands. And he didn't want to burden me too, since I was a... a mess. He didn't want to make it more difficult by being...his usual self. For the first few months, I swear I could see the old Sasuke in him, who had emotions and who knew how to express them. He reminded me of those days when he wasn't so...dark; and life was all about cartoon shows, my drawing, homework and-'' he snorted, ''-contracting cooties from girls.''_

 _''Kiba and Suigetsu are their usual jumpy self. They drag me to every party with them. This is their way of supporting me. It is weird but, I have to agree, it helps. Especially Sasuke. He drinks himself to oblivion at parties.''_

 _He rubbed his jaw as he recalled a time when Sasuke packed a punch square to his jaw for trying to stop him. He broke the emo's nose later for that. What? You thought he would let that sour face get away with that. Ah, the satisfying crunching of bones that echoed that day._

 _Naruto gazed up at the sky, vast and so bright, "I haven't seen Neji for a couple of days, but he never fails to check on me. One just needs to decipher his messages and talks to know that he really cares. Like his 'Hi' means, 'Hope you are doing okay, but I won't ask because I am way too cool for you. And call me if you need anything.' Him and Sasuke are so alike that it scares me. Honestly!'' He shuddered as images of them brooding together and conquering the world with their emo-ishness fleeted past his eyes. If that happened, Naruto just knew that the first thing they would ban was laughing. They had something against it, he could swear._

 _''Shikamaru is like, 'What a drag but are you okay?'", He deepened his voice to imitate his pineapple haired friend. Naruto was sure he would have not even cried after popping out his mom's vagina because it would have been too troublesome for him. And he could bet his ass that lazy dung's first word would have been 'troublesome', and first full sentence 'what a drag'. He sighed. He really had odd friends._

 _''Ugh!'' He groaned in frustration as he slapped a palm on his forehead, ''I just remembered that my chocolate cookies are still stuffed in the top cabinet away from Kiba and Suigetsu's reach. And they know about it. Mom!'', he whined. He couldn't help it. Suigetsu and Kiba ate everything they could get their hands on, and it was okay with Naruto -until their filthy hands were on his chocolate cookies and ramen. They were sacred. He thought back to the days when they were 7. He laughed when he tumbled on a certain memory where Suigetsu's and Kiba's ass was being whooped by his mom for stealing cookies and not sharing. He bit his lips to hold the guffaw which threaten to launch from his throat._

 _Walking down the memory lane, he couldn't help but breath a laugh. He had so many memories which made him snort and sniffle at the same time. And growing up with the people he loved the most, his only aim was to make more to last a lifetime and live life to the fullest._

 _Life was good, and Naruto always thought it would stay forever this way. He wished to forever be wrapped in the arms of his parents, surrounded by his friends and family; to grow old in his own little world. And never in his wildest dreams had he thought, that one day, the true face of life would come crashing down on him so hard that it would leave a permanent dent._

 _His eyes glazed over as he remembered the night when life took a sharp turn, diverting itself from the path he thought it would always follow. He was only 8; but unfortunately it was just the beginning. It has been 6 years, yet the wounds were fresh._

 _Covering half of his face with his right hand, with his thumb furiously tapping his cheek, he tried to hide his wobbling lips from his mom, as the images of the night which took away so much from him flashed in front of his eyes. He tried to block out the ringing of his house phone and his mother's bone chilling scream which he could still hear and remember as if it happened just a day before._

 _''Dad...'' His voice wavered, but he suddenly felt so...drained. Drained from smiling and pretending that he was all right and nothing in his life was wrong. It was too much and he couldn't find it in himself the strength to keep up the facade. Hiding behind a veil and pretend nothing is out of place had never been Naruto's fort. It was Sasuke's and to some extent Neji's._

 _''He hasn't woken up yet, Mom,'' He let out a shaky breath. His eyes were bloodshot and he bit his bottom lip to keep his composure, ''6 years. 6 fucking years and he is still lying on the damn bed, refusing to wake up.'' But his emotions were choking him and it felt like if he didn't let them out, he would explode._

 _He lost so many people that night, and one of them was his Dad who was still, to this day, in coma. It had been a bit okay to cope up with his mom by his side. She would embrace him and let him soak up her shirts with his tears. She would sing a lullaby the nights he couldn't sleep because he was missing his Dad so much. She would tuck him in bed the same way his Dad did so that he could catch an ounce of sleep._

 _His Mom was really tough. Even when the doctors lost hope and declared that his Dad might never wake up, she stood strong. She never gave up hope and had faith. She gave him strength, and assured him that his Dad was a fighter, and he would definitely come back to them._

 _But she was human too, and scared, and her whimpering in her room at nights never went unnoticed by Naruto. Though, the next day, she would come out from her room with a bright smile with no trace of weakness because she fought against them at nights. She always devoted the morning in giving him strength and keeping it together._

 _Then life played its cruel trick again and took away his last source of light, plunging him into darkness. A car accident and his pillar of support was stolen. After almost 4 years, Naruto lost his mother too, to the dare games of life._

 _"How am I supposed to do this without you, Mom? How am I-'' He gasped for air as tears spilled from his eyes, tracing their path down his cheeks, ''I can't do this. I- everyone is losing hope. I don't know if I 'll be able to hold on any longer. At least not alone. Please! Please... come back.'' It was like he was 8 again, crying and begging to the doctors to fix his Dad. But this time there was one to hold him in their arms and rock them back and forth and whisper calming words in his ears. No one to give him hope, absorb his pain, and to be his armor._

 _Sobs racked his body as he continued to shed tears which he had hidden behind his smiles for the past two years. He didn't care anymore. The facade didn't matter. The pretense didn't matter. And he didn't give a flying fuck if the world called him a weakling for bawling in front of a grave. He just wanted his Mom back because he couldn't move forward on his own._

 _Naruto didn't know if it had been 15 minutes or an hour since he just sat there and poured his tear ducts dry; but as said before: he didn't give a rat's ass._

 _The heaviness of his chest began to lift as he sobbed, and for the first time in almost 2 years, he felt a lightness he didn't know he was capable of feeling. He wiped his face on the sleeves of his shirt and threw his fingers through his hair. He was crying out his pain, and he would be lying if he said that the after effects weren't good._

 _A shrill noise penetrated his surrounding, bringing him out of his own bubble as he sniffled. He patted his jeans when it registered in his mind that it was his phone ringing. Feeling a bump in his back pocket, he quickly pulled his phone out. His brow furrowed as he took in the name which was flashing on the screen of his sleek phone._

 _''Jiriaya sensei? Why is he calling? He knows I came to visit Mom,'' Muttering, he breathed in sharply and swiped the screen with his long fingers, accepting the call._

 _"Hello?'' His voice came out hoarse and rough, and he just prayed his Godfather won't figure out he had been crying. He didn't want to worry Jiraiya who already had his hands full._

 _''Naruto? Get home as fast as you can.'' Naruto could hear Jiraiya panting and huffing as if he had run a marathon -which really confused him. What the fuck was happening?_

 _"Is it really urgent? I am kind of busy-'' Before Naruto could finish, Jiraiya cut in._

 _'Its your father.'' A chill crawled up Naruto's spine as deadly silence overtook the other end, ''He is awake.''_

 **Sasuke's POV (PRESENT DAY)**

To him, she was like a flame on a chilly winter night that warmed up his insides, even with the softest glow it would cast. She fluttered and danced, her movements filled with grace, with every gust of wind which seemed to be failing in its every attempt to douse her. And just like a moth, he was drawn towards the incandescence she was radiating.

His eyes refused to acknowledge the command of his body to remove them off her. They were stuck, entranced and enchanted by every small actions of her. Everything about her felt magical as she gleamed. There was a kind of beauty in her which could only be felt as it was guarded not only by purity and innocence, but a tinge of strength. It was untouched and unswayed.

Sasuke had never been the type to adore lustrous and glinting individuals, but she, with her brightbrightbright pink hair and emerald eyes, was already breaking the conventional wall around his heart by merely standing near an ice cream parlor and chatting animatedly with her blonde, blue eyed friend. He was drowning helplessly in her radiance and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to be saved. And just by being upright on her long, toned legs which stretched miles-

 _Wait! Whoa!_

At first, he was being annoyingly poetic by describing her inner beauty, and now, was behaving like some sort of low class, pathetic, pitiful pervert by staring at her legs and measuring their length.

 _Great! This is exactly what he had in his mind for the day!_

Something inside of him screamed that his sarcasm for the day wasn't going to take him anywhere, and he needed to stop checking her out and keep it together before someone noticed. But every logical thought was picked, packed in a sparkling wrapping with a bow on top, and thrown out the windows of the mall he was supposed to be shopping in, with an urgency he couldn't fathom, when _the_ pair of gorgeous emerald eyes collided with his onyx ones.

Her gaze was piercing, sharp, as if seeing right through his facade. Sasuke could sense her peeling off his barriers...one by one, and having a peek in his past. He struggled to keep his mask up; but the way she held his gaze -and the intensity- shook him to the core. He must have let his emotions loose, because something unfamiliar flickered on her face. But as soon as it came, it was gone. And what shocked him was that, the minute the emotion -which passed by with a speed of lightning- _(And he saw it. How you may wonder? Uchiha, duh)_ on her face was nothing close to dread or horror. It was as if she was very familiar with whatever she saw in him.

A low cough from his side snapped him back to _annoying_ reality where he was supposed to be shopping with five of his _only_ friends. When he had first entered through the automatic doors in one of the biggest malls of Konaha, and was instantly attacked by the fangirls with hearts in their eyes and awes on their mouth as their weapon, he had wanted nothing but to bolt right through the emergency exit and escape the conundrum. But now, stealing a glance at the pink haired beauty for one last time who was, thankfully, no more looking at his way, he felt that maybe the wasn't _half_ bad.

All of a sudden, his line of vision was blocked by a mop of blonde hair, and a frowned marred Sasuke's handsome, aristocratic features. He stared down at the intruder and a groan evaded his mouth involuntarily. He let out a string of curses under his breath. If he would have been the type to cross his fingers and pray, then he would have done _exactly_ that and wished to all the new and old gods that _Naruto_ wouldn't have caught him checking out the pinkette.

"And here I thought you were gay, teme. But, thank god!"

He slapped his palm on his forehead. Dragging it down his face, he sighed exasperatedly. Out of all his five friends, had to be the blonde fucker? And he would never understand his fetish in calling him gay. He got laid the day before yesterday and it was a girl. It would always be a girl to ride his dick, because for the love of god, he was as straight as a ruler. He wanted to scream at his best friend's face and throw a few good, hard punches to get it across the blondie's thick skull that he was _not_ gay.

Totally oblivious of Sasuke's angry, red, violent thoughts creating havoc in his mind, Naruto gave him a shit eating, ear to ear grin which blinded the-slightly-emo-with-a-tinge-of-broodiness Uchiha for a minute or two. Sasuke squinted his eyes and blinked them once, twice, thrice and then he lost count.

 _Oh for fucks sake!_

"Hot, aren't they?''

Sasuke passed him an unimpressed look but _deeeeeeeep_ inside, he just couldn't agree more. But that was definitely not what had caught his was just something about her that intrigued him. Maybe it was the greenness of her eyes or the vividness they seemed to hold. The aura, perhaps? He didn't know and he didn't care. At least that was what he was telling himself. And the fact that she was easy on the eyes was _not_ helping his case either.

"Shut up, dobe,'' _because you are right when you are not supposed to be._

When Sasuke was younger, he used to spend half of his time wondering how come he became best friends with an obnoxious, dim witted, loud mouth like Naruto, who was the former's polar opposite. Sasuke was the epitome of darkness: unsocial, always bored, brooding and a little bit emo; whereas Naruto was exactly how he appeared: over energetic, overenthusiastic and all sunshines and rainbows. Wondered -but never regretted. Not that he was ever going to admit that in front of Naruto. He doesn't have to know more than he should. His peanut size brain would burst open with so much information, and Sasuke neither wanted to be the one to clean up the mess, nor wanted to be a part of the chick flick moment which would follow right after the heart to heart.

 _Nope! Nuh-uh. Not happening._

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU BASTARD?" And Sasuke might have just gone deaf. Pursing his lips and making a loud _clack_ with his tongue, he gave a hot, masculine, arousing, panty wetting, steamy ahem-according to his fangirls of course-ahem glare to Naruto, cursing the blonde to hell and back and setting him on fire. If only looks could kill _or_ burn, Naruto either would have been buried 6 feet deep inside the ground right now, or turned into ashes. He not-so-subtly glanced at the girls over Naruto's shoulder, who were now giving them their undivided attention -which Sasuke thought was not exactly a _bad_ thing, but that was definitely not gonna save a certain blonde for _almost_ bursting his ear drum. He had this-this unavoidable and uncontrollable urge to smack the blonde's head upside down, and he almost gave in too, but before he could act upon his impulse, someone bet him to it.

"Keep your fucking voice down, asshole,'' Someone muttered under their breath. And that certain someone being a brunette with inverted triangular tattoos on either side of his face.

Well now, you see kids...Sasuke might have ignored -or even applauded- him for actually doing his dirty work and successfully shutting the blonde's mouth, if it wasn't for the fact that Kiba was as loud as Narutard and GOD, DID HE JUST MUTTER?! THIS WAS ABOMINATION! APOCALYPSE!

It was one of those rare moments -emphasis on rare- where Sasuke could just not keep his emotions in check. He went through a war inside his head to stop the flood of sudden sensations, but the current was very strong. Thus the barrier broke and down came tumbling the emotions on Sasuke's face. Shock, surprise, distress, blown, hysteria. You name it and it was all on show on his face like a very important notice on the display board.

A minute after Kiba's not-so-loud-but-still an outburst, a series of questions popped up in Sasuke's mind. Was it really that weird that Kiba just hit Naruto _instead_ of throwing a hissy fit? Yes. Yes, _definitely_. Should he take this lightly? No. Was he taking it lightly? No, he wasn't. Was he worried? Very. And was he gonna ask the dog lover if he was okay? ummm-No. Because he was sure that something was off and he didn't need a confirmation letter for that. And he might just have a slight idea of the reason behind it. The wheels and gears inside his brain were turning smoothly -Why smoothly you ask? Because Uchiha, Duh!- Scanning his area to appear nonchalant, his eyes found the Hyuga's, who was already looking at his way. Numerous questions were fired towards Neji like lazer-beams, and answers were exchanged and a full blown conversation went down, all _inside_ their heads. The talk with beautiful, thick, soft, shiny, glossy -words of the fangirls because Sasuke was just _not_ gay and he _so_ didn't think that about Neji's hair- long haired Hyuga might have gone something like this :

 _'Did you see that, Hyuga?'_

 _'Yes. I did. And it was disturbing.'_

 _'Damn right.'_

 _'What should we do?'_

 _'Wait and observe. Because that is what we are good at. We can't badger him with questions. That's not like us. Did you forget we are the brooding type, Hyuga?'_

 _'I have forgotten nothing, Uchiha.'_

 _'Doesn't seem so.'_

 _'Fuck you.'_

 _'Not interested. And woah! Did you just curse?'_

 _'So?'_

 _'Blackmail.'_ _ **Smirk**_

 _'And what are you gonna say? That you heard me cursing, telepathically?'_

 _'People believe whatever I say.'_

 _'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!'_

 _'Gladly.'_

Satisfied with himself, Sasuke returned to the doors of reality where Kiba was stressed, and that pink chick was lit. There was just something different about getting at the Hyuga's nerves. A _good_ different.

Caging himself behind the bars of his pretense and disguise, Sasuke went back to his usual cold self. He couldn't believe that the pink haired girl made him drop his guard and pull out emotions and flash it in front of the whole world. And he didn't know if it was a good thing, or if he should be scared of all the changes she was causing by a mere glance. He glanced momentarily towards the ice-cream parlor and disappointment flushed through his body when his eyes touched no pink hair or emerald eyes. He should be content now that she was gone. Then why did it feel like he might have lost a valuable chance to finally find happiness? He did feel vulnerable in her presence, but for the first time in his 18 years of life he didn't mind it. He didn't mind baring his soul, and for certain, didn't mind feeling weak.

 _Stop right there. Dramatic much?_

Sasuke shook his head as if that could help him to get the irrelevant thoughts out of his head. He pushed a certain pink haired girl to the back of his mind and locked it up with the memories of his dead parents in the darkest corner of his brain, where he hardly ventured to. He closed her chapter, slapped the book shut with a loud _snap_ inside his head -just for the feel- and threw it out of the window of the mall, making it to be the second thing to be thrown out, throughout the day.

''Man! How long are we supposed to wait for Suigetsu?'' Naruto drawled. Even if he noticed Kiba's bad shitty mood, he didn't show it. But his voice decreased a notch, proved that he did notice.

As if on cue, a bluish man appeared behind Naruto, who was totally oblivious of the presence behind him. His shirt was upside down and his hair disheveled, and Sasuke just didn't _want_ to know the reason behind it.

Suigetsu slapped Naruto's back with a little too much force, making him tumble forward. The blonde turned around and opened his mouth to curse him, but when his eyes took in Suigetsu's appearance it fell shut on its own accord. He gaped at him for a whole minute, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"You were having a quickie when I was on the verge of dying?'' Naruto hissed incredulously, to which the white haired man-whore only smiled shamelessly.

"She was hot,'' Suigetsu grinned, and then directed his question towards Kiba, unaware of his foul mood, ''Aren't you gonna ask me how she was?''

"No,'' Kiba deadpanned, which earned him a blank look from Suigetsu.

"What has got your panties in a twist, mutt?''

Everything went dead silent after that. Sasuke could swear that he could hear birds chirping, water falling and the church bells ringing. He began to hear the hell chanting _death, death, death_ clearly, and the gates to hell opened. Fuck! He could even imagine death standing right behind Suigetsu.

As if sensing the deadly aura around Kiba, Suigetsu started to sweat. He swiped his forehead and puffed out his cheeks. He raised both his hands up in surrender and mouthed a quick sorry. And with that, the death vanished and the doors to the hell closed with a huge _slam_ because a simple apology does wonders, my friend.

Sasuke let out a breath, which he didn't notice he was holding, when he saw Kiba's expression relaxing. He was in desperate need of food. The day was being unnecessarily eventful, and Sasuke was sure there was more drama on its way. He needed energy to deal with it.

Suspring, he made his way towards Ichiraku with hands stuffed in his pocket, radiating nonchalance which was totally fake because he had nothing to be nonchalant about at that point of time. It was going to be a _looooooong_ day.

 **A/N: Do _not_ be a silent reader, please. Do comment. I would love to know about your opinion. But, no hate comments. Point out my faults, that is totally fine but no hate comments. **


	2. Who run the world? GIRLS!

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine but the plot is.**

 **CHAPTER 2: Who run the world? GIRLS!**

Sakura was many things, but a morning person she was not. Mornings weren't really her thing. Lying on her bed with her eyes wide open, she only had one question swirling inside her mind _. 'Why the fuck did she put an alarm for 5.30 in the morning?'_ She would have blamed it on the drinks she might have poured in her system the day before in the club, only if it weren't for the fact that she didn't get to drink last night. At all. Except water. Water was important.

She groaned as her alarm continued to wreck the deep slumber she had put herself into after countless efforts last night, slamming her hand down on the clock, _hard_. You read it right: efforts. No, she wasn't an insomniac. Nope! Far from it. She _loved_ sleeping. But it isn't an easy task when you are Sakura Haruno, who was everything but normal, and had a best friend like Ino who was on the verge of becoming a sex addict!

Okay, maybe that was a _slight_ exaggeration. But her pants and screams -unfortunately from the room right beside hers- at 2 in the morning were convincing the pinkette otherwise. She was going to slaughter that blonde pig. She _wasn't_ supposed to bring her conquests home.

She was _really_ trying, trust me, she was, to go back to sleep. But it was as if the sleep was teasing her. It was right between the gaps of her finger, but before Sakura could clench it within her fist, that _slimy little git_ would escape. She pouted at the ceiling. It was of no use to lie on the bed and waste her time. Time was money, and though money wasn't tight in her household, she still liked to save.

 _Might as well go on a jog._

She threw the comforters off her and got up. She made her bed, because she didn't want Hinata on her back this early in the morning, before going to the bathroom. Padding towards the sink, she turned on the water, watching it whirl in the sink and flow down the drain. Raising her head, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and cringed. With mascara streaks and smudged lipstick, her hair a tangled mess and puffy eyes, she didn't _exactly_ look attractive. Truth be told, she looked _awful_. At least she had enough brains to take off her fake eyelashes and that hot _little_ black dress before going to sleep.

She sighed as the events of the day before came rushing back to her mind, making her tumble inwardly. The beats of the music, the shimmering lights, the thumping of the dance floor, mass of people grinding and dry humping each other. You guessed it right, Sakura and company went to a club on the first day of their arrival to Konaha. To celebrate of course. Instead of unpacking and settling, they chose to go to a club to have a toast for the fresh start they were about to have. It was Ino's idea. Sakura didn't mind though. Rather, she found it to be _brilliant_. She would rather party than unpack. But she didn't get to drink because she was appointed to be their designated driver. She didn't mind that either. She was a lightweight anyway.

She took a quick shower to jerk herself awake and erase the mess she looked, washing and conditioning her hair. Switching off the faucet, she wrapped a fluffy towel around her body and walked out, swaying her hips and humming a song she remembered playing in the club yesterday. It was her first time in a club without a fake ID and it made their little trip a lot more exciting. Wearing her track pants, a blue tank top and throwing her wet hair in a high ponytail, she was good to go. She pocketed her phone and grabbed her headset as she skipped out of her room with a little spring to her steps. The thought of a fresh start was enough to brighten her mood.

To say she was surprised to see Ino in the kitchen this early in the morning would be an understatement. The part where she was only in an oversized shirt and her thong didn't seem too shocking.

''You okay?'' Sakura asked softly as she stood behind her cautiously. If she knew any better, Ino might be hungover.

Ino let out a high pitched shriek which reminded the pinkette of screeching tires and her inner self burst out into a hysterical laugh at the train of her thoughts.

 _God, she was hilarious!_

'' _Jesus_ , Sakura! Do you always have to be in stealth mode?'' Ino's voice was rough, and before Sakura could stop herself, her big brain had already registered the reason behind it.

 _Gross!_

She rolled her eyes when she observed Ino massaging her forehead. _'Did she really have to get this hammered?'_ She shook her head as she paced towards the kitchen cabinet and grabbed a bottle of aspirin. Pouring a glass of chilled water from the fridge, she slapped it on the kitchen counter along with the medication.

"Thanks!'' Gratefulness poured through Ino's words as she wrapped her fingers around the glass, popping two aspirins in her mouth. Sakura's lips twitched before a small smile graced her features. Ino could be _so_ predictable sometimes.

"When did you get back last night?'' Ino had left with some guy earlier, and while she knew Ino could take care of herself, the pinkette couldn't help but feel worried. Ino, with the other 5 girls, were the only family she had left in her life; and the fear of losing them was a feeling Sakura decided she could never shake off.

"Around 1. He was just supposed to drop me back home. I _swear_ , I didn't plan on bringing him inside. But it went down when I was kissed him good night. Then one thing led to another.'' And Sakura couldn't stop herself from making gagging noise at that back of her throat.

"You know the walls are paper-thin right?''

''I don't really feel guilty... but I know you won't let this go 'till I apologized so,'' Ino breathed in dramatically,''-I am so sorry.''

Sakura scowled. It had never been a big deal for Ino to _flash_ her sex life in front of the 5 of them. She could bet her ass that the airhead would even give the details if asked, including the size of the dick that banged her. And Ino wasn't the only one that open, there was Karin too. Though the red head was much _worse_. The only good thing about her was that she never brought her conquests home. Sakura couldn't have been more grateful for that. One was enough, she didn't need two.

''Whatever.'' Sakura waved her hand as if swatting a fly, dismissing the situation. ''Where is he then?''

''Kicked him out. Way too whiny for my liking.'' Sakura gaped at her blonde best friend but then shut her mouth. There was _no_ reason to be surprised, because it wasn't the first time Ino did something like that. Instead, this was how it happened and ended each and every time. Either she brought someone home, banged him and then kicked his ass out, or went to her conquest's house, banged him and vanished into the thin air without _any_ trace of her being there. Sakura didn't know why she thought this time would be any different. Maybe the new place was making her delusional.

''Did someone else hook up except me?'' Leave it to Ino to talk about the sexual escapades like she was talking about the _fucking_ weather. "Karin?'' But Sakura shook her head.

''No. Everyone was too hammered to do anything else. So I brought them back at 12.'' The pinkette drawled. It wasn't like Sakura was a virgin or had something against sex. Oh, she _loved_ it. But she just couldn't grasp the concept of making their sex escapades public. Why would someone even want to compare how long the guy they banged lasted?

''Going for a jog?'' Ino questioned, scanning Sakura from head to toe.

''Wanna join?''

"Nah! I'll pass. But surely tomorrow.''

Sakura hummed in response, making a beeline for the door.

Putting on her shoes, she grabbed a few dollars from Ino's wallet for her coffee and stretched a bit to warm herself up slightly.

''Don't go too far. This isn't Suna, remember?''

''Yes _mom_!"

She could feel Ino rolling her eyes behind her. ''And we need to go to the mall today. Remember that, too.''

The pinkette scoffed.

''Yeah! Wouldn't miss it for the _world_.'' Sakura retorted sarcastically, as she shut the door behind her and stepped on to their porch. It was a beautiful day, Sakura noted. The main reason why they had chosen this house to buy, was the location. It was situated at the far corner of the street and the speciality of this particular street was that most of the residents here were students. And the wooded land extending beside their house had a gorgeous view. She could never get tired of it.

Plugging her headset in her phone, she turned on the music and inhaled deeply. The scent of early summer mornings and freshly cut grass filling her nose.

Jumping on her toes a bit, she let the familiar heat creep up her body. Working out has always been calming for her. The adrenaline, the heat, the sound of blood rushing through her ears soothed her insides. It felt familiar and... _normal_.

'Normal' was not a word that could be used to describe the life of her and her best friends. She had known them since she was 12, but it had always felt like she had known them for far longer. The way they understood each other and got along, one would think they had _practically grew_ up together. Her friends claimed otherwise though. And when her past was like blank sheet, Sakura could just _not_ argue.

Her past was a touchy subject for her, because she remembered none of it; And the reason behind it: _Amnesia_. The only few things that she knew about herself was that she was an orphan, and she got an amnesia when her foster home, in which she used to live, was blown up due to a gas leakage, where she received a major head injury, losing her memories. She was not even sure to what extent this piece of information was true, because no one survived the explosion except Sakura, which, itself, was strange and a _miracle_ too. These were the _only_ facts her doctor could elaborate to her since her knowledge was limited too.

Her doctor, Chiyo.

She smiled wistfully as an image of the old doctor flashed in front of her eyes. She was the kindest person Sakura had the opportunity to meet. She had adopted Sakura when she had nowhere to go, and that was where she had met the other girls. They were adopted by Chiyo too and were orphans just like her. They had hit it off from there.

Chiyo's death a year ago broke their hearts, as if a chunk of it was torn and tossed away. She was their everything; mentor, support system, family. It was as if they became orphans all over again. Which led them to make the decision of a scenery change. Suna held too many memories of Chiyo. It was too much for them.

She jogged for another 15 minutes or so, when she started to feel the burning in her legs, an indication that she must head back home.

 _Home_. Though she had been in Konoha for the first time and only a day, it still felt more like home than Suna.

It had been bothering her for quite a while now. Like a puzzle was missing. And whenever she would say anything about this matter to any of her friends, they would brush it off saying she was over thinking like always. Sakura shook her head. Maybe she really was over thinking about this. But this _feeling_...it just wouldn't go away. This feeling that maybe her friends were hiding something from her -like they knew something she didn't. She couldn't shake that hunch off. Call her paranoid, but it worried her.

Sakura breathed a sigh. She was being stupid again. Doubting things was going to take her nowhere, and even if something were wrong, her friends would definitely tell her, right?

She tried to focus on her surroundings as she jogged back home, taking in the colored houses and few gardens waiting to be maintained, the warm weather and the 6.30 AM peace, the fresh breeze and the ruffling of leaves on the trees.

She needed to forget about her past, she thought to herself. What good would it bring in remembering it? She had no one important to remember anyway. The important ones were already in her life. Minus Chiyo. But her memories were with her, safe in her brain.

What she _needed_ was to actually be concerned about right at that point is her present, their trip to the mall, and starting college the next month. Her insides churned on the thought of college as she made her way to the porch of her new home.

 _God!_ She always was such a _pussy_ when it came to interacting with new people. She had to do it once six years ago and it was time to do it _all over_ again. At least she had her friends with her this time. It wouldn't be that bad. And she was proud of her sociable nature. She would be just fine.

Well, optimistic much?

 _Hell yeah!_

0-0-0-0

Rage might as well be Sakura's second name. Her anger was something she couldn't keep in check. Whenever something made her blood boil, she could, literally, hear the adrenaline being pumped in her veins, flushing her whole body, spreading the rage to every inch and making her lose control piece by piece. And then there was her violence. Push all the right buttons and she'll _fuck_ you up with her fists. But thank the Gods! She wasn't a very violent person; keyword being _very._

But she couldn't hit her friends _now_ , could she?

She let out a sigh of frustration as she rewarded her friends with her valuable attention which they certainly didn't deserve. They were all giggling like highschoolers -well, only Karin and Ino, to be honest. The others, like Temari, who was chuckling, and Hinata, who had a fist in her mouth to stop herself from bursting out laughing. Even Tenten, who was busy playing on her phone, had a smirk plastered on her face. Completely enjoying the bullshits spurting out of the pig's mouth. Oh how badly she wanted to wipe those smirks and smiles and destroy their faces with her fists.

She couldn't though. She would have it worse in return because she wasn't the only one who could fight. Chiyo had taught all the five them to fight, saying that one day they would definitely need it -which confused Sakura. Chiyo often said things that Sakura had a hard time processing, but she listened to them anyway. Who knows, one day they might come in handy. So, while Sakura was a pro at breaking bones, so were her friends. Five against one didn't sound tempting to her. If it would have been 5 people other than her 5 girlfriends, she wouldn't have broken a sweat. But she knew what her friends were capable of. They'll gang up on her and destroy not only her face, but her body as well. Now, she didn't want that to happen, did she? She wasn't stupid.

She snaps back to reality as Tenten burst out laughing, howling like a hyena. What could possibly be said that would actually draw Tenten's unwanted attention to Ino's words? Generally, the former would ignore whatever shit dropped from the pig's mouth, deeming it unimportant. What bomb did the pig drop _this_ time to get a reaction, that too a _positive_ one, out of Tenten?

The pinkette's eyes narrowed as she raised her head to look at the culprit who was grinning at her like a cheshire cat. She inwardly shivered, afraid of what Ino might have said this time. Yes, this wasn't the first time that _bitch_ had spewed lies by manipulating her words and exaggerating the situation. There was probably no limit to her exaggeration which always scared the pinkette more than she let anyone know.

This time, _unluckily_ and _unfortunately_ , her target was Sakura. That being the reason why she was the only one not laughing. Because the joke was on her. More like, she _herself_ , was the joke.

"What the fuck are you spitting, pig?'' Sakura growled. Like hell she would let Ino bully her.

''Oh nothing. Just telling them how you just had eye sex with a total haughty and how you chickened out at the end.'' Sakura's jaw dropped to the floor as her brain took its sweet time to process her words.

 _Say what?_

''Excuse me?'' She couldn't believe her ears. And that's _really_ something, because she was doubting _her_ ears instead of Ino's mouth.

''Eye sex, Sak. With that guy with, oh you remember, black eyes, black hair. And _damn_ that jawline was totally panty dropping.''

Sakura couldn't _fucking_ believe it. She just... _blinked_.

She remembered the guy alright. His smoldering gaze was something Sakura could swear was going to _haunt_ her even in her dreams. Oh no! She isn't forgetting about that guy anytime soon, but no one needed to know that, not even Ino. Wait! Correction. _Especially_ Ino.

Turning towards Tenten, who was sitting right beside Ino in the food plaza they had crashed after the hectic tour around the mall, ''Did you just laugh at that-that _fuckery_ she uttered?'' She asked incredulously, waving her hands like a maniac.

'' _What_?'' Tenten's eyes were wide, portraying innocence which Sakura knew _without_ doubt was fake, ''It's not everyday we hear about your-'' She wiggled her eyebrows, ''-conquests. And how you were gaping at him like a fish and all that goggly eyes crap.'' Sakura actually _cringed_ when Tenten made goggly eyes at her. She looked absolutely _horrible_ doing that.

"Spill the details.'' It was Temari this time, and Sakura had _never_ felt so betrayed.

''What details-'' She spoke through clenched teeth, ''-do you want me to give when _nothing_ happened.''

Ino raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow at the pinkette as she said, ''Really now?''

''What did you tell them, you _motherfucking_ pig?'' The pinkette hissed. This was completely and utterly _ridiculous_.

''Oh! I don't know. The truth, maybe?''

Sakura wanted to wrap her fingers around the pig's slender neck and throttle her to death, or maybe snap it with a flick of her wrist, and then she would throw her body right in the middle of the forest on the outskirts of Konoha for the wild animals to tear her _guts_ out. Then she was-

 _'Calm, Sak. Calm. No violent thoughts. Today's been a good day. Don't let anyone spoil it for you.'_

She breathed a huge gulp of air through her mouth and exhaled it out through her nose, cooling her insides which were screaming at her to hawl her ass up the chair and kill this fucking pig right _here_ , right _now._

''Sakura, calm down. And Ino, _quit_ it.'' Her soft voice almost went unnoticed by Sakura. If it weren't for the dead silence on their table, she would have missed it completely. Hinata's whisper soothed down her anger a bit. She took the pinkette's hand in her small ones, rubbing it lightly and gave her small smile.

 _Looks like Ino will get to live another day._

Ino knew all her buttons, which one to press and when. And her short temper didn't help the situation, and with patience the size of a peanut acted as a cherry on the top for the pig. Though she was a blue eyed blonde, Ino was anything but an airhead, clearly breaking all the stereotypes regarding the blondes. She was _very_ clever and _very_ manipulative, an expert in riling up people. And most of the time, Sakura was her victim. Her short temper herself made her prey to the games Ino liked to play.

She glared at Ino. Oh no! Just because she was no more angry, didn't mean she would let this slide. She would just store it in her sharp mind which was begging Sakura to get revenge. Oh, she would get revenge alright.

'This is war.' She mouthed to Ino, whose smirk faltered in response. Ino knew her, and she very well _knew_ she wouldn't forget this humiliation.

She relaxed in her chair and exhaled slowly. Plastering a _sweet_ smile on her face, she turned to Hinata, ''What are we ordering?''

Hinata eyed her suspiciously before replying carefully, ''I was thinking about pizza.''

Sakura clapped her hands together and bounced a little on her feet a bit, ''I _love_ pizza.'' She said in a sing sang voice.

Even Tenten seemed a bit disturbed by her sudden change in demeanor, but nodded nonetheless before removing her jeans clad butt up off the wooden chair and making her way to the ordering booth.

Her girls were _smart_. They _knew_ her, and they _knew_ Sakura was definitely up to something, which was a good thing, because this was exactly where she wanted them to be.

They wouldn't even know what hit them.

She spent the rest few minutes plotting the perfect revenge when _it_ happened.

A shrill scream echoed, spreading through the plaza and bouncing back from the walls which was followed by a series of very colorful curses. Sakura sprang to her feet, letting her chair clatter to the ground, probably making a commotion. But she didn't _care_. Chair be _damned_! Even her plotted revenge was buried beneath her shoes as only one name was whirling around her head and clouding her judgment.

 _Tenten!_

 **A/N :)**

 _Love you Poodie!_


	3. Cracking his nuts!

Sasuke _rarely_ showed emotions. Putting up a facade and hiding behind a wall was what he had learnt from the incident that happened 10 years ago. He snapped his eyes shut tightly when the images flowed in his mind, like an endless river. The _screams_ of pain, _pleas_ for mercy, sobs and sounds of the struggles still, to this day, haunted him in the silence of days and nights.

He felt more emotions than a normal human being -which he had always seen as a weakness. And as much as he did _not_ want to feel anything, he knew it was _impossible_. So he opted not to show them instead. Until and unless, no one could really see through his walls, he would be okay. So imagine his dilemma, when a certain emerald eye girl with ridiculous -but, not really- pink hair cracked his walls with _only_ a glance; and he didn't know if he wanted to find out what would happen if he got close to her.

He shook his head when he realized how much of a _pussy_ he was being. It really wasn't _that_ big of a deal. Or so he liked to tell himself. But, when had Sasuke ever been afraid of anything? He was an Uchiha _, for fucks sake_. Uchiha's don't do scared.

 _Fix your boxers and stop being so fucking dramatic!_

"I am moving out." And Sasuke had to mentally thank Kiba for dropping a bomb, so that he could forget about the combination of pink and green. But, let's not forget how he _almost_ spat out his drink in surprise.

It seems like Kiba was on a mission today, Sasuke decided, to surprise the _brains off_ everyone. Here he was, busy wallowing and cursing his fate and blaming his oh-so-tragic-past and all of a sudden Kiba drops a bomb, disrupting his thoughts. Well, not that he _liked_ musing about his past but sometimes, it was important for reality check.

But, since he was Sasuke Uchiha -do add a bit of arrogance here, thanks a lot in advance- he had a hunch that sooner or later, Kiba's tolerance level was gonna reach its limit, because come on, even the most patient of all has a limit.

So, what he meant was that he had predicted this outcome.

"I am tired," Kiba said but it didn't seem like he was talking to them anymore. "Tired of her treating me like _trash_ and making _me_ feel like one. And she is _supposed_ to be my mother."

''All I _ever_ wanted was a family,'' Kiba breathed half a laugh, which was clearly mocking, ''But I guess I really _was_ a mistake.''

 _A home_. That was what Kiba wanted. But life had a maniacal way of proving its superiority by never giving anyone what they need, _when_ they were in desperate need of it. It's not like Kiba did not have a family or parents. Unlike Sasuke, Kiba did have a mother and a stepfather. But despite that, Kiba was an orphan -had been one since the day his real father died, his only family. Because could a woman be called a _mother_ if she chose drugs and alcohol over her own son? 18 years and never once had Kiba known what really having a mother _felt_ like: to be _embraced_ by one, to be _cared_ for by one, to be _loved_ by one. As harsh as it sounded, Sasuke thought Kiba was better off _without_ her. If only he had taken the decision of moving out a bit earlier, the damage would have been less.

"So..." It was Shikamaru that broke the weird silence that had taken over, because no one knew how to respond, "...I went house-hunting with Neji the other day."

And right at that moment, Sasuke wanted to kiss Shikamaru's extraordinaire intelligence. - _not_ Shikamaru, mind you. Just his intelligence, because he wasn't fucking gay-

"There is this house which is exactly our type. 6 rooms and all that shit." He furthered.

His friends had decided to move in together as soon as they finished with high school. They all lounged at each other's house half of the year anyway. Might as well move in together. And it was also on the shitty bucket list -which may not be _that_ shitty after all- that Naruto had made for their group.

"It's nearer to the Uni. And the best part?", Suigetsu announced as he grinned victoriously, "most of the residents are students.'' Um, Translation: Party with no interruptions. Sasuke smirked. No more annoying, middle aged and going-to-bed-at-exactly-10-so-make-no-noise-after-that neighbours.

"Teme!" Sasuke twisted his head towards Naruto, slowly, _almost_ wearily. He wanted to act as if he didn't hear the idiot but since he was sitting right beside him, so…

 _Oh well._

"What?"

"We must go check it out someday," The blonde was _literally_ jumping up and down on his seat.

Well, he _did_ need to see the house for himself once. God _knows_ what that Lazy ass and the Hyuga might have failed to check. Like, he didn't know, maybe if that house was _really_ for sale or not?

"Sounds like a plan." Sasuke drawled after a minute of _over_ -thinking.

The Uchiha's wandering eyes fell to his stomach -that had rock hard pecs, of course- as it grumbled with uncontrollable hunger and he glared at the culprit whose turn it was to order that _fine_ afternoon.

"Move your stinking ass and order the pizza, Hyuga. It's your _fucking_ turn today. Waiting for a flowery invitation or what?" Sasuke bit out, to which Neji only grunted moodily before getting off his chair and making his way towards the booth.

"I want a ramen flavoured one," Naruto piped up.

And Sasuke felt like slamming his _own_ head on the table.

He tuned out Naruto as he began to discuss a few things he could not bring himself to be a part of, and before his brain cells could be damaged any further. He surveyed his surroundings and did what he was best at: Observe without being called creepy. And he cursed under his breath when his eyes took him to the pinkette who was sitting a few tables ahead of him, nearer to the booth. As if she was a magnet and he, a metal. But his attention was diverted as one of the girls of her group -the one who managed to pull off the two bun hairstyle and made her way towards the ordering counter. She stood behind Neji in the line, with her back to the Hyuga.

All of a sudden, a blonde blue eyed girl of the bun haired-girl's group began flailing at the latter, waving her hands. He eyed them curiously as she mouthed something probably, to which the bun-haired girl mouthed something back, that looked suspiciously like _'is that him'_ , while pointing her fingers _directly_ at Sasuke. With a slightly baffled look on his face, he immediately twisted around in his seat to check if she was pointing at someone _behind_ him. But it didn't seem so since the row behind was empty. As he faced the booth again, his eyes met the blonde girl's and she grinned. And he could have sworn he saw evil glinting in her eyes.

He arched his perfectly shaped eyebrow at her and her grin _widened_ , showing off her pearly white teeth before she whispered something to the other girls sitting around the table, and then gestured _towards_ him. Different pairs of eyes, except a certain emerald one, met his face from that doomed table as he scrunched up his nose and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

 _What kind of drug are they snorting?_

The pink-haired girl whipped around from her seat, possibly to see what her friends were looking at, and nearly _fell off_ as she stared at him wide eyed and _horrified,_ for some reason. Flipping back around, she whacked the blonde right across the face who did nothing but _cackle_ in glee.

He perked up _, discreetly_ , and strained his ears to make out what the pinkette was saying. He picked up bits, and he had to say, that girl had one colorful vocabulary. Words like 'pig', 'slaughter' and 'fuck' were all jumbled up as he tried to eavesdrop _. Subtly_ , of course.

To say he was amused by her choice of words would be an understatement.

He wanted to hear a bit more, but it was quite difficult to over the rumbling off his -well defined, obviously- stomach.

He looked up to see what was taking Neji so long and he did a double take.

"That _damn_ fucker." Sasuke cursed loud enough for his friends to hear who followed the emo-boy's line of vision. The pale-eyed boy was arguing with the bun-haired girl and Sasuke just _knew_ it wasn't gonna end well. Before he could haul his ass up and go resolve the issue, _it_ happened. If only they had another minute _, everyone_ in Ichiraku might have had prophesied the next set of events. They were _that_ predictable.

How? Because of the murderous expression on the Bun-haired girl's face. She looked _crazy_ with anger.

And that Hyuga continued to preach whatever he was preaching, completely _oblivious_ to the changing expression at a _dangerously_ fast pace on the girl's face, possibly with homicidal tendencies. He just didn't know when to back off, did he?

The next thing happened in a second. There was a loud curse -from the girl- and a high pitched shriek -surprise, surprise. from the Hyuga- as she pulled up her sneaker clad leg and kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. _Hard_.

It even made Sasuke wince and his hands unconsciously flew to his balls. _God!_ That was gonna bruise.

 _Remind him to give Neji a pack of ice._

He jumped into action when the group of girls got off their seats and ran towards the booth. Sasuke cautiously moved towards the front, with his friends right at his toe who seemed shocked enough to have frozen expressions on their face -Jaw hanging, eyes as wide as saucer. you know the usual-

No one spoke a word. The whole cafe was filled with an ominous silence. Tension thick in the air.

The boys pushed forward towards Neji. After a brief eye contact, a sort of signal was exchanged as Naruto and Sasuke took steps towards Neji, who was curled on the floor, and hauled him up. They helped him in an empty seat and everybody showered the victim with pitiful glances.

No sound except occasional screeching of chairs and clanking of utensils behind the kitchen door could be heard.

"Sui..." Kiba whispered and motioned towards the audience they had gathered.

Understanding the gesture, Suigetsu cupped his mouth and hollered, "What the _fuck_ you looking at? Your mama's wedding?"

Taking that as their cue, the crowd burst into murmurs as everybody _pretended_ to mind their own business. But Sasuke could see _almost_ all of them giving them curious glances, trying to be subtle but failing.

He turned towards the girls, a look of expectation plastered on his handsome face. He noticed all of them _fidgeting_ in their spot.

"That is it. You are _fucking_ grounded, Tenten," The blonde girl with really long hair pointed towards Tenten, placing her hands on hips.

"Who the fuck made you my _mother_?"

"You kicked him in the nuts, Ten," Sasuke's head snapped up when the pinkette spoke so exasperatedly. He saw when she sighed and ran her slender fingers through her pink hair.

"Well, he said _something_ that I didn't like," Tenten replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

 _Jesus!_

"Tennie, you can't keep doing that every time you don't like what people say. It is _not_ right," She seemed almost tired by the situation in hand, dragging her hands down her face, like it happened often and she was sick of it.

"I told you we shouldn't take her outside," The long haired blonde piped up again, "She is mentally unstable," She drawled, seeming almost bored.

Sasuke didn't know if he was seeing it wrong, but the girls did not seem as much worried about the situation as they should have been. That girl almost _kicked_ up Neji's balls into his throat, for fucks sake.

" _Hey!_ " Tenten revolted.

" _Christ!_ Ino, you are _so_ not helping it. Shut it," The pinkette berated with gritted teeth.

"But don't you think Ino is right, Sak? Panda keeps picking fights with boys every _fucking_ time we go out."

 _What in the world-_

"Excuse me, I'll appreciate if you all would _kindly_ stop fucking ganging up on me," Tenten rebuked, turning towards the red head. "And Karin, no one asked for your useless opinions." She sneered, "You-you four eyed-" Sasuke observed her with an eyebrow raised as she probably _racked_ her brain, struggling for an insult, "- _sex addict_!"

Karin gasped dramatically and Sasuke didn't miss the way a blonde girl with two pigtails face- palmed herself, muttering something along the lines of 'not again'.

" _Oh no_. You didn't," Karin whispered dangerously, "You _fucking_ asylum escapee."

It was Tenten's turn to gasp, " _How dare you_?!" She shrieked.

Sasuke's mouth fell open as the two girls became so engrossed in arguing with each other that they forgot about the situation they had in hand which was created by none other than them. His shocked onyx eyes met Naruto's as they both turned to look at each other at the same time.

" _Enough_!" Her voice was so chilly that it made Sasuke have goosebumps. Never in his life he would have imagined a girl with bubblegum pink hair could _chill_ him to his bones with _just_ a word. And seemed like he _wasn't_ the only one frightened. The arguing stopped at once and the two arguing girls gulped.

"You two idiots are creating _a god damn_ scene," The pig tailed girl irritatedly stated, a vein popping on her forehead.

"It was not my fault, Temari. Panda is mental," Karin rushed childishly.

"I am mental?!" Tenten let out incredulously.

"Obvio-"

"Don't! Don't start again or god help me, I'll _roast_ your asses on a fucking frying pan," The pinkette threatened dangerously, her nostrils flaring. Sasuke couldn't help but notice how her face looked as pink as her hair.

After a moment of staring at the two girls, she began again, "Now that everyone is basically _getting off_ on the silence here," She said sarcastically, "Care to explain why you did what you did, Tennie?"

"I am _not_ apologizing." Tenten deadpanned.

"We'll see about that. Now, start talking."

Before Tenten could speak, Kiba spoke up, "Why don't you all sit down? Maybe, all of us could talk this out." He tried to convince, "Like adults?"

"We would love that," The long haired blonde said as she sighed dreamily at Kiba and which made the pinkette roll her eyes.

Well, Sasuke didn't know that eye rolls could look _that_ hot.

"Lemme bring you all chairs," Naruto said as he began adjusting the chairs, pulling Sasuke with him.

All the girls sat one by one. Except one. Sasuke pulled a chair back a bit -since he was a gentleman- and turned expectantly towards the only girl who was standing.

And he couldn't help but gawk at her -her eyes to be exact. Which were exactly like Neji's. Just slightly bluish instead of purple.

He couldn't help but apprehend the storm brewing behind her expression, her wobbly lips and eyes brimming with tears as she stared at Neji.

Then something clicked in his brain and realization hit him like a truck.

 _Fuck!_

If he wasn't wrong, then this was Neji's cousin-

"Hinata?" The pinkette called out. "Come, sit." The pinkette patted the empty seat Sasuke was holding out.

The chaos came crashing down in slow motion for Sasuke. The meeting of Neji's purplish pale eyes and Hinata's bluish pale eyes, the clicking of pieces in Neji's head, the emotions flicking past his face, surprise, fright, horror, anger.

Everything fell back to its original pace as soon as Neji abruptly _jumped_ up from his seat.

Seems like they wouldn't get to sit _at all_ today.

"Neji-ni..." Hinata whispered.

"You have some _nerve_ to show your face again here," Neji hissed. His voice was filled with so much venom, that for a moment, Sasuke was stumped.

"Neji-" She began again but Neji cut her off.

" _Of course_ , this girl is _your_ friend," Neji let out a dry laugh.

"Kind Sir, don't act as if my _hot_ ass is not sitting right in front of you. And it _looks_ like you didn't learn your lesson regarding politeness," Tenten made a move to get up from her seat, towards him, dramatically cracking her knuckles. "Well, mama would _love_ to teach you."

Karin grabbed her arm in an instant and pulled her back, making Tenten slump on her seat.

" _Behave,_ " She hissed.

Neji scoffed at her and shook his head as he stared down at all of the girls with evident disgust.

"You _really_ have guts, I'll give you that," Neji said with a taunting smile on his face as he took a step towards his cousin.

"But do you _remember_ what I told you the last time you tried to contact us?"

Tears pooled down Hinata's face.

"Neji," Naruto warned from behind but was ignored by Neji who was gone way too far in rage.

"I _promised_ I'd make your life a living hell," Neji voice had taken a dangerous edge as he advanced towards her. "And I intend to keep it."

"That will be _enough._ ", Sasuke spoke calmly as Suigetsu placed a hand over Neji shoulder, as a warning.

Tears continued to spill from Hinata's eyes as silent sobs shook her shoulders.

No one noticed the girls had gotten up from their chairs again as well until the pinkette stepped in between Sasuke and Neji and pushed Neji's chest back with a surprising strength making him tumble, leaving everyone speechless for the second time in a mere space of 10 minutes.

Sasuke kept his eyes trained on the pink haired girl as she craned her neck to glare straight into Neji's eyes.

"You are _one_ pathetic excuse of a man, you know that, right?" She hissed at him.

Neji narrowed his eyes at her as she continued speaking, "I _know_ the fight between you and Hinata is none of _my_ business and I would have _gladly_ stayed out the way because Hina is capable enough to handle her shits _. Especially_ the ones related to family."

Neji opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off harshly. "No, _zip it_." She spat.

Taking a deep breath, she leveled her voice. " _But_ , I have heard enough." She stated in a low voice, "And you made your issues my _motherfucking_ business when you made her cry. So like a humble person that I am, I'll give you a _really_ important advice," She said as she raised her pointer finger and jabbed it in his chest, "And like the _shitty_ dildo that you are, you are gonna hear it, process it, think about it if you want to, then follow it, yeah?" She cocked her slim hip to one side and Sasuke found this action _oddly_ distracting. "Never, ever in your pitiful life, make any of my friends cry. Got it?"

"Or what?" Neji daringly questioned, without missing a beat.

Maybe he should make preparations for Neji's funeral.

"I would have been disappointed if you hadn't asked that question," She smiled sweetly at him.

"Or else, I am gonna _rip_ those balls of yours that you are so proud of _, cut_ it into millions of tiny pieces, _top_ the pizza with it and _shove_ it down your bloody throat. Sounds delicious, right?" Her voice was so _sarcastically_ sugary that it made Sasuke nauseous.

"I am aware that you are incredibly stupid but I just hope you are not actually idiotic enough to ignore my advice." Bringing up her hands, she dusted off invisible dust from Neji's shoulder and Sasuke followed every moment of hers intently.

"That will be all. _Adios._ " With that she blew Neji a kiss as she strutted out of the cafe dragging Hinata and all her other friends with her, leaving behind six stunned eighteen year olds.

And would you judge, if Sasuke said that she turned him on a bit too?

And it was also funny how he didn't even know her _name_.


End file.
